


For now, it's time to run

by Corentine_Noctua



Series: The Future We Create [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: #kill_gabriel_agreste_2020, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Bee Chloé Bourgeois | Queen Bee, Dragon Kagami Tsurugi | Ryuko, F/M, Fox Alya Césaire | Rena Rouge, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth Identity Reveal, Hawk Moth is Gabriel Agreste, Horse Max Kanté | Pegasus, Ladybug creates a group chat at one point, Mentioned Gabriel Agreste, Mentioned Lila Rossi, Mentioned Nathalie Sancoeur, Monkey Lê Chiến Kim | Roi Singe, Peacock Nathalie Sancoeur | Mayura, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Pre-Relationship, Queen Bee creates a hashtag, Rabbit Alix Kubdel | Bunnyx, Snake Luka Couffaine | Viperion, Turtle Nino Lahiffe | Carapace, no love square drama, not beta read we die like men, some characters have a total of one sentence in this story and i have no regrets, they're 17 or 18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23740162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corentine_Noctua/pseuds/Corentine_Noctua
Summary: Ladybug, Chat Noir and Hawk Moth have their identities exposed when they detransform during a battle being broadcasted on live TV. Hawk Moth runs off in an attempt to find a way out, but Chat Noir and Ladybug are left to make up a backup plan on the spot. Unfortunately, they only see one way to keep their friends and family safe, and it’s not something either of them were prepared to face.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Master Fu/Marianne Lenoir
Series: The Future We Create [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710064
Comments: 12
Kudos: 193





	For now, it's time to run

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! This is my first time posting a fanfiction for the Miraculous Ladybug fandom, which is surprising considering this isn't the first story I've _written_ for this fandom.
> 
> The basic concept of this is the identities of the Miraculous Holders were publicly revealed (doesn't really matter how) and Marinette and Adrien decide that leaving the city is the safest option for them, because Hawk Moth doesn't want to destroy Paris, he just wants the Miraculous, so taking them away means Hawk Moth would have to go after them.
> 
> Anyway, I wrote this in a random burst of inspiration that hit me at 2am, so it is very likely that there are grammar mistakes in this and I would be very thankful if you mentioned them to me in the comments so I can fix them. English is also not my first language, so if you read something that doesn't sound right, it probably isn't, please tell me so I can fix it.
> 
> Title inspired by the song "Run Boy Run", by Woodkid

Plagg was the only one who had any idea, but Adrien had been planning to run away for a few years now – ever since the beginning of lycée, to be specific. He’d begun by emptying an old backpack he’d used for a few travels and filling it with clothes. Then he had to empty the backpack because he was struck with the realization that all his clothes were Gabriel brand and some would be easily recognizable.

He ended up filling the bag with the most unassuming clothes he could, then went on to find other things he might need, mostly hygiene products and objects with practical uses. Next: electronics, though those required a bit of acting and lying, from pretending he’d lost his phone, to making it look like his tablet was broken, to telling Nathalie that he needed a laptop for a school project because he couldn’t just take his desktop to school.

The money was covered; for years he’d been saving half of his allowance simply because he didn’t have to spend it; not spending _any_ of it was just taking it one step further. With money, he could get fake documents, train tickets, a fake alibi, whatever was necessary. He just needed to figure out where he was going and when.

“China”, Plagg had suggested, surprisingly useful, for once. “You already know mandarin; I love the place; Fu won’t mind. It’s perfect.”

“I hadn’t realized you were coming with me”, the teen had said, though he supposed he should have thought about it. Plagg stared at him like he’d just sprouted another head.

“You’re my chosen. I go where you go.” Plagg paused in order to swallow a piece of cheese as big as his head, which nearly broke the logical part of Adrien’s brain, but was common enough that he didn’t question it. “And I had supposed you were planning on leaving _after_ defeating Hawk Moth instead of ditching Ladybug.”

Honestly, Adrien should’ve thought of that as well. He couldn’t just up and leave. Paris needed him as long as Hawk Moth was around. Ladybug needed him.

He settled for sighing in mild frustration and muttered “This is why Ladybug is the one who makes the plans.”

Time and place set, all that was left to do was take care of his responsibilities and make sure no one found out until he was long gone.

The years went by, and he found lycée was somehow even more stressful than collège, but his friends were there for him, and some days he even forgot his plan. Things had gotten better since he left Françoise Dupont. Most people from his old class went to the same lycée, but he and Chloé had managed to convince Gabriel to enroll Adrien in the same private school Kagami would be attending.

Evidently, the man didn’t know his son was just trying to avoid a certain liar by attending to the same school Marinette had gotten a scholarship to. But what Gabriel Agreste didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Just like the knowledge that he nearly killed his son several times during the five years he spent being Hawk Moth. Although, in the light of recent events – and with Plagg’s voice ringing in his mind with the words “run, boy, run!” – Adrien was willing to bet it wouldn’t hurt him anyway.

* * *

“I told you I wasn’t made for this, Tikki. I should’ve given up the Miraculous when I had the chance. I can’t even keep my identity a secret properly!” Despite her words, Marinette doesn’t stop moving, opening the chest beside her chaise lounge to grab some key pieces of clothing to shove into her backpack.

“No, Ladybug, it’s just that this world is not made for you; they’re trying to catch you. They’ve been trying to since the beginning, and you’re not to blame for that. And even if you had your doubts about being a superhero, I wouldn’t have accepted anyone else” said the small Goddess, floating and trying to stay out of the way while talking to the girl at the same time.

“How am I even going to survive this, Tikki? I barely have enough money for the train tickets, I’d have to find a place to stay, a job… mon Dieu, I’m dropping out of lycée.” The teen rambles even as she rushes to her desk and empties her briefcase over the surface – she was lucky enough to have taken her briefcase to school instead of her backpack, which made packing a lot easier, but she wasn’t about to take all her school materials with her.

She shoves her laptop, chargers, diary, pencil case and all her savings inside, then unlocks a small chest on her sewing table to reveal the Miracle Box, which she sets inside the briefcase much more reverently than the other objects.

“You’ll be fine, Ladybug. You’re one of my most resourceful chosen ones, and you have many talents on your side. Plus, you’re not alone in this: you have me, Chat, and even Plagg.”

“Guess I really have to trust Lady Luck this time, huh?” Marinette turns towards Tikki for a second. The kwami gives her a sad smile.

“Silly girl, you _are_ Lady Luck.”

They don’t exchange many words after that, most of them consisting of Marinette asking Tikki if there is anything she is forgetting or if the kwami could find a specific thing she’s looking for.

She ends up back where she started, in the middle of her room, quickly scanning for anything else she might need for the trip that awaits her. She already got clothes, hygiene products, money, documents, electronics, potentially incriminating items, a flashlight, her grandma’s multipurpose knife, a towel, a thin wool blanket, and the Miracle Box.

“You might want to change clothes, Marinette. As pretty as your usual outfit is, it isn’t the most practical or comfortable”, Tikki suggests.

“You’re right, Tikki”, Marinette admits, and goes to change into a mauve long-sleeved turtleneck blouse and a pair of comfortable black slacks she made for semi-formal events. Both were MDC originals, but she had yet to wear them publicly and they were different enough from her pink capris, white blouse, and gray blazer.

She finds a pair of low-heeled black boots and undoes her pigtails, but ties her hair in a messy high ponytail for practicality’s sake, then ties the remaining ribbon around her wrist just in case she needs it. It hurts a little bit to know she is leaving behind everything that made her who she is, but her kwami has a valid point, and she is already pushing her luck with the signature backpack and briefcase.

Marinette is looking for a coat when her eyes land on the jacket on her mannequin. She found it when looking through her mother’s old stuff, fashion from the 80’s or 90’s, made of blue denim lined with red plaid wool. Then she fixed it and planned on adjusting it to fit her figure later. It’s something no one but her parents have seen, plus, it has six particularly useful pockets. She puts it on, peeking at her full-size mirror to confirm it doesn’t quite match the mauve turtleneck and semi-formal slacks, but it looks unassuming and that’s the point.

“Here, Ladybug.” Tikki appears on her line of sight holding the purse she made with the t-shirt her grandmother gave her. The girl quickly transfers the things from her pink purse to the brown one, then notices the kwami is offering her two other objects.

“My kwagatama!” She exclaims and places the necklace around her neck. The red of the pendant matches the wool on the jacket and the decorations on her purse neatly, which makes her smile a bit. “And… the lucky charm Adrien gave me?”

“I thought you’d like to have it”, says the little Goddess.

“Thank you, Tikki. You’re the best.” She ties the bracelet around her wrist along with her hair ribbon. Seeing her birthday gifts together is a small comfort in face of what she is about to do.

Marinette feels terrible for taking money from her parents’ savings for a family trip, but she knows they won’t miss it any more than they will miss her, and she needs it more than they do. After setting down the empty jar, she puts the money inside her purse with her documents, wallet, and phone. She’s struck by the thought that she needs fake documents and a new number asap. But first, she needed to get to Master Fu’s.

“Alright, Tikki, time to go.”

“I’m ready when you are, Ladybug.”

The teen didn’t miss how her kwami stopped calling her “Marinette” since she last detransformed, but there is no use dwelling on it. Instead she rushes down to the bakery to find it empty, as she thought it would be. She gives Tikki a few cookies to eat while she grabs a paper bag to fill with pastries, then another one to fill with chocolate chip cookies, and puts a few in her purse, enough that it’s too full for Tikki to fit inside. The kwami finds herself a place in the right breast pocket of her chosen’s jacket and nods to the girl.

Marinette goes out through the back door, fumbling a bit with her keys when she moves to lock it. A spur of the moment realization later, and she turns to leave her keys inside her house’s mailbox, though that probably means it isn’t her house anymore. She spins on her heels before she has time to regret it, adjusts her backpack straps and her grip on her briefcase and promptly takes off running in the direction of Master Fu’s place.

* * *

The first thing Chat Noir does when he crash-lands on the mansion is go to Gabriel’s atelier and break into his safe. He can picture Ladybug telling him off for being reckless, but in the worst-case scenario, Hawk Moth or Mayura find him there and they fight – Chat has reasons to believe he’s better in physical combat than those two. Best-case scenario is that he was fast enough that they didn’t get there before him, and he takes the Grimoire and the Peacock Miraculous before they even realize he was there.

Chat gets _this_ close to crying when he opens the safe and sees the peacock brooch lying harmlessly beside his mother’s portrait and the Grimoire. It seems his Lady’s good luck charm works better than he thought.

Still, he isn’t about to push Lady Luck more than he already has, which means he grabs the book and the miraculous and runs to his bedroom, then locks the door behind him. He detransforms and opens the drawer where he keeps some of Plagg’s cheese so the kwami can eat while he retrieves his “runaway kit” from the back of his wardrobe.

Adrien sets the Grimoire and the miraculous in the backpack as carefully as he manages, then goes to take off his overshirt and throw on a dark green windbreaker, before trading his sneakers for a pair of black leather boots. The pockets of the windbreaker come in handy when he transfers his phone, wallet, and documents from his desk to his person. He’s about to grab the backpack, call his transformation and beat it when Plagg’s voice stops him.

“Forgetting anything, Chat Noir?”

The Kwami floats over a different open drawer from the one where Adrien kept his cheese. A closer look reveals it’s where he keeps his kwagatama, the lucky charm Marinette gave him and the blue scarf he got as a gift for his fourteenth birthday – and that he ultimately found out Marinette made for him.

The boy hadn’t originally planned on taking anything that wasn’t absolutely essential to surviving, and apparently his past-self had decided those were in the non-essentials list.

“There’s more to living than just surviving, kid. Good memories are part of that”, the tiny black god says, in one of his rare useful insights. “Take the stuff, I’m sure your Lady will appreciate it.”

Adrien nods and mutters a “thanks, Plagg” as he ties the lucky charm around his left wrist and places both the kwagatama and scarf around his neck.

“I’ll suggest you leave through the service exit. That way you take the path your shithead of a father won’t predict, and you can drop by the kitchen on your way out to grab some food. And don’t forget my cheese.”

“Naturally”, says the teen, allowing a bit of humor to show in his voice.

In the future, when this whole mess becomes past and Adrien grows to be capable of looking back and feeling nostalgic instead of sick, he’ll probably remember the moment as the one time in his life when he actually followed his kwami’s orders. But right now, running through his father’s mansion to get to the kitchen, grab some non-perishable snacks and a plastic bag full of camembert, he can only think of what route to take in order to get to Fu’s.

It wouldn’t be wise to go across town as Chat Noir, he realizes, and decides to drop by one of the nearest alleyways to plan his route too, as it wouldn’t be wise to lead Hawk Moth directly to his only hope.

“This is why Ladybug is the one who makes the plans”, he mutters, not for the first time, as he hits the ground running from the service exit of the Agreste Mansion.

True to his word, he stops at an alleyway, pulling his windbreaker’s hood over his head to have some semblance of disguise as he retrieves his phone to plan a route through google maps. He’s immediately hit by a wall of notifications on his lock screen; most from his close friends, a few from classmates and two from Nathalie.

“Even after what happened, he can’t be bothered to text me himself”, the teen scoffs. He can almost feel Plagg rolling his eyes from where he’s perched on the boy’s left shoulder.

“I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: your father’s a real first grade asshole, kid. No amount of shocking revelations would be enough to make him change his attitude towards you.”

Adrien’s breath gets caught in his throat and he holds his phone tighter to avoid smashing it on the nearest wall.

“Could you, please, maybe, stop calling him my father?”

Plagg peeks at him from the edge of his hood, but doesn’t say anything, resigning himself to just nodding instead of saying everything he wants to spit at Gabriel Agreste’s face. Adrien doesn’t need to hear that right now, especially after he’d spent so long trying to convince Plagg not to cataclysm the man.

Adrien reads a few messages, starting with the one’s from Chloé and Kagami, then proceeding to Nino’s and Alya’s. The rest of his classmates and old friends from Françoise Dupont can wait.

Chloé sounds uncharacteristically worried in her texts, though most of them consist of indiscernible rambling/bitching/stress ranting. The last three texts are the ones in which she asks if he’s ok, when she can see him and if he can text her as soon as he gets to safety. Adrien types a fast reply telling her that he will get back to her as soon as he can and moves on the next text.

Kagami is overly formal and to the point, which is the first telltale for her. The more relaxed she is, the more natural her texts; formality means nerves and anxiety; when she’s truly freaking out, she crosses the line to grammar mistakes. Adrien supposes it’s a good thing that her message reads “Are you well? Please, message me as soon as you find yourself in a safe location.” The boy knows she wouldn’t appreciate it if he texted her from a definitely unsafe alleyway near his father’s house – and she always knows when he lies, even in texts – so he moves to the next on the list.

Nino’s texts don’t show worry or nerves; in fact, he goes straight to “I know you can take care of yourself, I’ve fought with you, dude”, which is one more item checked on the list of “information he wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t pressured Ladybug until she had caved and told him”, though the scarf deal would probably fall within the “Marinette” side of the list.

 _Dieu_ , was it really earlier that day that he found out Marinette and Ladybug were the same person? It feels like ages passed since that moment.

Anyhow, Nino asks Adrien to get back to him asap, but also if Marinette lost her phone or isn’t answering because she’s in danger. Adrien’s reply is just forwarding the message he sent Chloé. Nino would have to forgive him later, but he isn’t in possession of a lot of time currently.

Alya’s texts are a completely different story, to begin with the fact that she sent even more messages than Chloé. She starts with outrage for being kept in the dark about Ladybug and Chat Noir being her friends – then again, Adrien wasn’t exactly in the light about that either, but she didn’t know that – then proceeds to regretful and guilty about believing and endorsing the number one liar of Paris – which, wow, she can be fast at connecting the dots when she wants to – then asks if both superheroes are okay and if there’s anything she can do to help.

Adrien is honestly touched – he never knew Alya could fit so much emotion in typed letters – but he still forwards the same reply. Sorry, Alya.

He doesn’t miss that Marinette hasn’t texted yet. Last he saw her she told him she had to stop by her house to grab everything she needed and it would take a while, because, surprisingly, not everyone has a bag packed to leave at any given moment. She promised to text him if she got to Master Fu’s first, a mere second before she pulled him close and kissed him on the mouth for the best three seconds of his life, then pulled away and said:

“For luck.”

Luck he was wasting by staring at her contact for too long, he realizes.

“Alright, Plagg, let’s go. Ready?”

“I should be the one asking you that, Chat Noir”, the kwami groans, but hides inside the teen’s left breast pocket anyway.

“Yeah, uh, in which direction is…?”

Plagg groans louder and mock proclaims: “The sun will be guiding you.”

“What?”

“East, Chat Noir! East! And watch out, there are two maniacs on the loose and they’re dying to stop you.”

* * *

The first thing she did upon arriving at Master Fu’s was set up a group chat.

Well, no. The first things she did were greet Fu and Marianne; then kneel in front of the table to catch her breath; then drink an entire glass of water at once; then give both elders a complete retelling of what happened and the explain her plan to solve the problem. Then, finally, she set up a group chat.

**_LB has created the group Miraculous_ **

**_LB has added CN, RR, Ca, QB, Vi, Ry, Bu, RS, Pe and MM to the group_ **

**_LB:_ ** _ill cut to the chase bc im out of tie here_

 **_LB:_ ** _*time_

 **_RR:_ ** _R U OK????????_

 **_LB:_ ** _yea_

 **_LB:_ ** _u prob figured every1 here had a miraculous at some point in time_

 **_Bu:_ ** _I feel called out_

 **_Bu:_ ** _but thx for including me anyway_

 **_LB:_ ** _did the news show who hawk moth is?_

 **_RR:_ ** _Yeah but please tell us cause I’m not sure everyone saw the news and I need confirmation before I commit murder_

 **_LB:_ ** _yes its gabriel agreste, no u cant murder him_

 **_Ca:_ ** _can I?_

 **_QB:_ ** _can I?_

 **_Bu:_ ** _can I?_

 **_RS:_ ** _can I?_

 **_LB:_ ** _NO 1 COMMITS MURDER ON MY WATCH_

 **_LB:_ ** _anyway im texting u to tell u CN and i r leaving paris and taking the miraculous with us srry_

 **_Ry:_ ** _Why is that?_

 **_Vi:_ ** _Wait, no, Mari_

 **_Pe:_ ** _According to my calculations, leaving the city and getting all of the Miraculous out of Paris is indeed the safest measure that Marinette and Adrien can take in the moment, especially considering that staying would mean making them unnecessarily easy targets to Hawk Moth aka Gabriel Agreste._

 **_MM:_ ** _I’ll miss you but it’s more important that you're both okay,,,_

 **_LB:_ ** _thx max thx mylène_

 **_Pe:_ ** _However, as soon as Marinette is out of the city, Paris is technically no longer under her watch, which means all of us have her implicit permission to systematically destroy Gabriel Agreste, either by getting him under arrest and using all the proof we have to make sure he stays that way, or by outright committing homicide. Whichever is more logical at the moment._

 **_LB:_ ** _et tu brute_

 **_QB:_ ** _#kill_gabriel_agreste_2020_

 **_RR:_ ** _rt_

 **_Ca:_ ** _rt_

 **_Bu:_ ** _rt_

 **_RS:_ ** _rt_

 **_Ry:_ ** _rt_

 **_Vi:_ ** _rt_

 **_Pe:_ ** _rt_

 **_MM:_ ** _rt_

 **_CN:_ ** _rt_

 **_LB:_ ** _CHAT_

The girl looks up just in time to see Adrien walk in with his phone in his hand and a sly grin on his face. She notes he took the same measures as her as to not get recognized, which helps her worries for him quiet down after hours of anxiety over whether or not Gabriel would get to the mansion first, or if they would go after _her_.

“I thought you promised to text me as soon as you got here, Princess.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry I forgot” she offers him her right hand as soon as he kneels beside her and he promptly holds onto it as if his life depends on it. The lucky charms they wear around their wrists clink against each other and both grin at the sound. “Are you alright? How did it go?”

“No one was home, I grabbed the book and the peacock and got out through the back. I think he’s looking for Ladybug and Chat, or went into hiding while Nathalie makes up a cover story, or he’s waiting for us to go after him. Either way, we’re good for now. How about you? Got everything you need?”

“I hope so”, Marinette gestures towards the backpack and briefcase on the corner, delicately contrasting against Adrien’s black travel backpack.

“Adrien, Marinette, these are the documents you’ll be using for now.” Both teens turn their eyes towards Marianne, who swiftly got into the room when they weren’t looking. She places two passports, birth certificates, IDs and, surprisingly, student IDs on the table before them.

“As far as these go, Mlle. Piáo Chóng Wang is an 18-year-old who was living with her grandfather, Fu Wang, in order to study in France while her family lives in Shanghai. M. Fred Lenoir is my beloved nephew, whose parents gave me permission to take on vacation for the next few months.” She has two official-looking papers in her hands, supposedly the signed permissions from their “parents”.

“I have to suggest that you give me your old documents so I can hide them somewhere safe and you don’t accidentally present the wrong passports.”

The teens nod and take out their documents from pockets and purse, handing them to Marianne before taking the fake replacements.

“We should probably answer them before they blow our phones up through group telepathy”, Adrien gestures towards Marinette’s phone on the table once Marianne left to tell Master Fu that they were good to go. Marinette nods and takes the device to send a few last messages.

**_LB:_ ** _were abt to leave_

 **_CN:_ ** _and sorry to disappoint you, but despite my previous rt youre not allowed to kill anyone whether or not were in the city_

 **_LB:_ ** _just pls stay safe while were away_

 **_LB:_ ** _well have to get new phones so nobody can track us so dont get too worried abt the radio silence well contact u as soon as its safe_

 ** _CN:_** _thanks for being great friends we’ll miss u_ (ﾐ ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣̣ ꞈ ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣̣ ﾐ)

 **_LB:_ ** _thank you for helping us, see u soon hopefully_

_“Piáo, Fred, we have to go now if we want to catch the train on time!”_ Master Fu calls from the other room, and the teens scramble to get up quickly.

“I can’t believe your name is actually Ladybug in mandarin.”

“Fred was the name of my grandma’s dog.”

“Was Fred a good boy, though?”

“He got hit by a car. He was a dead boy.”

“ _Meowch_ , my Lady.”

“Don’t start with the puns, Chat.”

“But that’s not f-”

She kisses him before he can finish.

> "Tomorrow is another day and you won’t have to hide away; you’ll be a man, boy. But for now, it’s time to run!"

**Author's Note:**

> Points to anyone who caught the lyrics of the titular song in the middle of the story!
> 
> This was originally planned as a long fic, but I decided to post it as a one-shot because it isn't long enough to divide into chapters and I'm not sure I'll write anything else set in this universe - even though I do have an idea for a one-shot telling the reactions of people to the reveal and subsequent escape/disappearance of Ladybug and Chat Noir. For now, I'll consider this story finished, while leaving the series open to additions.
> 
> So, this is it. Thanks for reading and, once again, feel free to point out any mistakes you might've spotted while reading.


End file.
